Foldable file for safe deposit box

ABSTRACT

A file entirely of cloth construction for the orderly, nondamaging storage of documents within a safe deposit box. A flexible cloth cover and attached divider sheets receive the papers to be stored whereupon the file is folded lengthwise to a width acceptable for insertion into a safe deposit box. A back portion of the cover carries the divider sheets and is flexible, along with the remaining portion of the file, to facilitate safe deposit box entry and removal. The divider sheets, upon opening of the file, have offset edges with indices to promote rapid locating of the document sought. The divider sheets are arranged in sets and are attached to the back portion of the file cover by spaced rows of stitching.

United States Patent 1 Strowger FOLDABLE FILE FOR SAFE DEPOSIT BOX [76] Inventor: Frances L. Strowger, 100 N. W.

Quality Way, Portland, Oreg.

[22] Filed: July 28, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 167,075

[52] US. Cl. 40/104.03, 40/124.2 [51] Int. Cl B421 7/06 [58] Field of Search 40/102, 104.02, 104.03, 40/104.05, 104.11, 124, 124.2; 150/39 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,634,777 4/1953 Berger 150/39 2,329,007 9/1943 Simon et a1. 150/39 UX 2,431,472 11/1947 Fistell 40/102 2,452,096 10/1948 Bertalotto.. ISO/39 X 2,815,126 12/1957 Deckers 150/39 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 359,306 2/1962 Switzerland 40/102 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-J. H. Wolfe AttorneyJames D. Gibnan, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A file entirely of cloth construction for the orderly, non-damaging storage of documents within a safe deposit box. A flexible cloth cover and attached divider sheets receive the papers to be stored whereupon the file is folded lengthwise to a width acceptable for insertion into a safe deposit box. A back portion of the cover carries the divider sheets and is flexible, along with the remaining portion of the tile, to facilitate safe deposit box entry and removal. The divider sheets, upon opening of the tile, have offset edges with indices to promote rapid locating of the document sought. The divider sheets are arranged in sets and are attached to the back portion of the file cover by spaced rows of stitching.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JUL 31 4 3, 748 76B INVENTOR FRANCES L S ROWGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to file construction and more particularly to a file constructed of fabric permitting compact folding and flexing of same for insertion into a small safe deposit box.

Safe deposit boxes are commonly used for the safekeeping of various important documents which most often require folding by reason of the limited size of the box. While such boxes may be of various depth they characteristically have a width dimension of less than six inches requiring folding of all but the smallest size papers. When a substantial number of documents, such as for example stock certificates, are folded for storage purposes the locating of a specific certificate entails the unfolding and refolding of certificates until the sought certificate is found. The locating of a particular certificate usually entails emptying of the box, and searching at random through an array of stored documents and other important papers which, of course, must again be refolded for insertion into the box. If the loose stock certificates or other papers are kept in a particular order care must be taken to preserve such order. If securities are stored within envelopes or folders commonly provided by banks and brokers the task of locating a specific security is further hindered.

The present file is particularly useful to those persons having authorized access to several clients safe deposit boxes from which material must be periodically retrieved or added to. The task of locating specific certificates and other documents is additionally hindered by the typical crowding of such boxes with various types of loose objects such as jewelry which may become interspersed with the ordinarily loosely filed papers.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention is embodied within a foldable, fabric file with suitably indexed dividers for reception of important documents.

The file comprises a one-piece cover of stiff-finished material having a back portion of angular configuration to which the divider sheets are sewn. The angularly shaped back portion may be compressed to occupy a minimum of space while the remaining portion of the cover and the divider sheets therebetween may be folded lengthwise all being directed toward convenient insertion of the file into a safe deposit box. The file additionally may be flexed when folded to facilitate fitting into a safe deposit box. The file is of a size to receive standard size stock certificates without prior folding or creasing of same. Upon removal of the file from a safe deposit box the user has immediate indexed access to all documents therein. While the documents are in folded configuration while in the file, they do not become sharply creased.

Index tabs are provided for each divider and in one form of the invention are alphabetized to permit stock certificates to be filed under the issuing corporate name. Other tabs may provide indicia for the filing of other important documents of the type usually kept within safe deposit boxes such as copies of wills, birth certificates, etc.,.

The file dividers are comprised of sheets of rough surfaced fabric material which frictionally retains the inserted documents between the divider sheets until the documents are intentionally withdrawn from between the indexed sheets.

The present file, while primarily for use in a safe de posit box, is additionally useful for the storage of documents in any place, such as within a home, where it is desirable to file a quantity of documents within a very small space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the foldable file,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the file folded for insertion into a typical safe deposit box,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the file opened to its center with divider sheets broken away for purposes of illustration, and

FIG. 4 is a elevational, detail view of the back portion of the file taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarly identified in the following specification, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally the file embodying the present invention.

A file cover, indicated at 11, is of unitary construction in the form of a rectangularly shaped cloth section with the cloth preferably being plasticized linen which characteristically has a stiff finish and may be cut without unraveling occurring of the cut edges. An integral back 11A for the cover is formed by an inwardly directed, central cover portion.

An initial set of superimposed divider sheets is indicated generally at 12 and comprises a number of equal size fabric sheets each of slightly less overall length than the cover 11. With attention to FIGS. 3 and 4, the divider sheets at 12 closely overlie at 12A the inwardly directed back portion at 11A of cover 11. With attention particularly to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the series of divider sheets 12 carry the remaining divider sheets of the file with the sets of sheets being assembled prior to attachment of the dividers to the cover 11. Attachment of divider sheets 12 is provided by lines of stitching at 13 extending along a pair of outer fold lines of back portion 11A.

The central portion of the layered divider sheets 12 overlie the inwardly extending back portion 11A and serves, as aforementioned, to mount additional sets of divider sheets indicated generally at 14, 15 and 16. The sets of divider sheets at 14 and 16 each comprise plural, cloth sheets evenly folded back on themselves and stitched respectively at 17 and 18 along sheet fold lines to the first described divider sheets 12. Similarly attached as by stitching 20 to the initial divider sheets I2 are centrally attached divider sheets 15.

While the width of the divider sheets may vary somewhat between sets the sheets are of adequate size to fully conceal a standard size stock certificate. Each of the divider sheets is affixed with a tab, as at 21, bearing a desired indices which most likely would be a letter of the alphabet which would appear on both sides of the tab as would other indices or words appearing on the tabs.

One fabric successfully used for the divider sheets is that type of cloth known as buckram which may be of either cotton or linen fibers heavily sized to impart a degree of stiffness. Further such cloth is highly desirable from the standpoint that it has a relatively rough surface which serves to retain the documents in place therebetween and against inadvertent slipping out of the file during file use. ln similarity to the cover material no unraveling problem is encountered in the cut buckram edges. While particular types of cloth are above mentioned the use of other cloth or fabric material is not precluded.

In assembly of the file the divider sheets l2, l4, l5 and 16 are pre-assembled and stitched with the final stitching operation being the sewing of the layered sheets 12 to the cover 11 by stitching 13.

While I have shown but one embodiment of the invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention Having thus described the invention what is desired to be secured under a Letters Patent is:

l. A file for documents ordinarily kept within a safe deposit box the file being both foldable and flexible along with its contents without creasing of its contents to facilitate insertion of the file into said box or other smaller storage area, said file comprising:

a unitary rectangular cover of woven pliable material including a front portion, a rear portion and a central back portion, with each of said portions having a rectangular cross-section and being foldablc along their respective contiguous edges,

said back element includes a medial fold line parallel to the ends of said cover, thereby forming a flexible back portion which is folded against the front and rear portions, respectively,

a first set of stacked rectangular divider sheets of woven material and slightly less in size than said cover overlying same when the file cover is open, said divider sheets having central fold lines parallel to the ends of said sheets and in substantial registry with said cover,

parallel spaced apart rows of stitching through said cover and said divider sheets along their common fold lines,

additional sets of stacked rectangular divider sheets of woven material, said additiona sets comprising a quantity of centrally folded sheets stacked at parallel intervals along their central fold lines to that portion of the first set of divider sheets overlying the inwardly folded back portion of each sheet of the additional sets and being of less size then the first set of divider sheets,

said sets being of a woven fabric characterized by a stiff finish for desired frictional resistance to displacement of an inserted document,

indices carried by each of said sheets with the indices of said first set of sheets being laterally offset from remaining indices on said additional sets of sheets when the file is open, and

said cover and sets of divider sheets when closed with documents therein adapted to be folded in a lengthwise direction parallel to the end of the cover without creasing of the documents and additionally flexible in a transverse direction when so folded to facilitate both insertion and removal from a storage area of restricted size. 

1. A file for documents ordinarily kept within a safe deposit box the file being both foldable and flexible along with its contents without creasing of its contents to facilitate insertion of the file into said box or other smaller storage area, said file comprising: a unitary rectangular cover of woven pliable material including a front portion, a rear portion and a central back portion, with each of said portions having a rectangular cross-section and being foldable along their respective contiguous edges, said back element includes a medial fold line parallel to the ends of said cover, thereby forming a flexible back portion which is folded against the front and rear portions, respectively, a first set of stacked rectangular divider sheets of woven material and slightly less in size than said cover overlying same when the file cover is open, said divider sheets having central fold lines parallel to the ends of said sheets and in substantial registry with said cover, parallel spaced apart rows of stitching through said cover and said divider sheets along their common fold lines, additional sets of stacked rectangular divider sheets of woven material, said additiona sets comprising a quantity of centrally folded sheets stacked at parallel intervals along their central fold lines to that portion of the first set of divider sheets overlying the inwardly folded back portion of each sheet of the additional sets and being of less size then the first set of divider sheets, said sets being of a woven fabric characterized by a stiff finish for desired frictional resistance to displacement of an inserted document, indices carried by each of said sheets with the indices of said first set of sheets being laterally offset from remaining indices on said additional sets of sheets when the file is open, and said cover and sets of divider sheets when closed with documents therein adapted to be folded in a lengthwise direction parallel to the end of the cover without creasing of the documents and additionally flexible in a transverse direction when so folded to facilitate both insertion and removal from a storage area of restricted size. 